Apparel belt loop material



Nov. 17, 1959 w. c. VIZARD 2,912,701

APPARELBELT LOOP MATERIAL Fiied Oct. 26, 1955 FIG?) 30 FIG. 4

ATTORNEY 20 William C. Vizard United States Patent APPAREL BELT LOOP MATERIAL William C. Vizard, Brockton, Mass, assignor to Barbour Welting Company, Brockton, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application October 26, 1955, Serial No. 542,881 2 Claims. (Cl. 2-338) This invention relates to apparel belt loop material.

The invention has for an object to provide a novel and improved apparel belt loop material comprising a strip of grain leather fabricated to provide a grain surface around the entire periphery of the material.

With this general object in view and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the apparel belt loop material as hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this Specification.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the buckle end of a typical apparel belt showing a belt guide loop;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the loop shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 of the loop material made in accordance with the present invention; and

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are perspective views illustrating the steps in the method of producing the present apparel belt loop material.

In general the present invention contemplates apparel belt loop forming material comprising a single strip of grain leather substantially rectangular in cross section wherein the strip is fabricated and folded upon itself to produce a strip of loop forming material having a grain surface around the entire periphery thereof.

Referring now to the drawings, 10 represents the buckle end of a typical apparel belt wherein the end of the belt material is folded tranversely upon itself to form a buckle loop 12 enclosing a buckle 14 and wherein a belt guide loop 16 is secured between the folds of the buckle loop to form with the exterior surface of the belt material a guide for the free or extended end 18 of the apparel belt.

As shown in Fig. 2 illustrating the belt loop 16 in side elevation, it will be seen that the loop may be formed by placing the ends of a length of loop forming material together in abutting relation and stapling or otherwise securing the ends together, as indicated at 17. It will be observed that the stapled ends of the loop 16 are concealed between the folds of the buckle loop 12 when attached to the apparel belt as shown in Fig. 1.

As illustrated in cross section in Fig. 3, the present belt loop forming material comprises a strip of grain leather fabricated to provide a base portion 20 and two side wing portions 22, 24 which may be folded inwardly and cemented upon the base portion 20 with the flesh surfaces face to face and with the edges of the strip or side wings in abutting relation, as shown, to provide a belt loop material having a grain surface about its entire periphery.

Referring now to Figs. 4, 5 and 6 illustrating the steps in the preferred method of producing the present belt loop forming material, 30 represents a strip of grain leather having a grain surface 32 on its underside, the upper surface 34 comprising the flesh surface. As shown in Fig. 5, two rectangular flesh fillets 36, 38 are cut and removed from spaced portions of the upper surface leaving grooved portions 37, 39 providing two spaced and "ice relatively thin hinge portions or fold lines 40, 42 respectively. The grooved portions 37, 39 each have a bottom wall and two side walls, the combined height of the side walls of each groove being equal to the width of the bottom wall of the groove, and said grooved portions divide 50, 52 of the strip in abutting relation, as shown in Fig.

6, thus producing a length of loop forming material having a grain surface around the entire periphery thereof and which is particularly adapted to be formed into a loop, as shown in Fig. 2, for use as a belt guide loop in an apparel belt. It will be observed that when the side wings 22, 24 are folded inwardly the vertical walls of each rectangular groove engage and align with the bottom wall of the groove, the hinge portions forming rounded marginal grain edges as shown. In practice after the feeding and cementing operations the loop forming material may be molded to set the shape thereof.

An advantage of the present method of making belt loop material is that it permits the use of heavier and firmer leather than is usually employed since the grooved fold lines facilitate the folding of the heavier material into the desired shape without undue strain or stretching of the hinge portions. If desired, the loop making material may be used with advantage for other purposes.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. Apparel belt loop forming material comprising a relatively thick strip of grain leather of uniform thickness fabricated to form spaced marginal relatively thin hinge portions, each hinge portion comprising a rectangular groove having a bottom wall and side walls, the combined height ofsaid side walls being equal to the width of said bottom wall, said hinge portions separating the strip into a central base portion and two marginal wing portions having square edges, said marginal wing portions being folded along said hinge portions flesh side inwardly and cemented to the flesh surface of the base portion with the square edges of the wing portions aligned in abutting relation to produce a length of loop forming material of uniform thickness having parallel side walls and rounded marginal edges and having a grain surface around the entire periphery thereof, the side walls of said rectangular grooves being aligned with and filling the space defined by the bottom walls thereof in their folded condition and forming a rounded joint concentric with the outer rounded marginal edges.

2. A belt guide loop formed from a length of loop forming material as defined in claim 1 wherein the ends of the length are joined and secured in abutting relation to provide a guide loop presenting a grain surface on all sides thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 886,439 Susseles May 5, 1908 946,844 Keats Ian. 18, 1910 1,674,584 Anderson June 19, 1928 2,175,283 Cote Oct. 10, 1939 2,426,435 Chianese Aug. 26, 1947 2,657,161 Luitwieler Oct. 27, 1953 

